Reinforcement for concrete structures.



RALPH E. NEWTON, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

REINFORCEMENT FOB CONCRETE STRUCTURES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June '7, 1910.

Application filed March 21, 1907. Serial No. 363,725.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, RALPH E. NEWTON, a citizen of the United'St ates, residing at Milwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State ofwisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reinforcement for Concrete Structures; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to means for reinforcing concrete structures and is applicable to various kinds of reinforced concrete constructions, Whether colunms, beams, trusses or the like.

One object is the provision of a reinforcing structure which will be economical to manufacture-and ship and easily and speedily applied at the site of the proposed struc ture.

sired combination of grades of material may be used, such as high tension steel for the supporting bars and low tension or soft steel for the connecting straps. Furthermore, the

straps are adaptable to any form of bars and the material may be worked up or prepared in the shop instead of in the field, thereby insuring greater accuracy and better workmanship.

Another object is the provision of a continuous strap connecting the bars whereby the use of separate clips or clamps is avoided either for connecting the bars together or for connecting the straps to the bars.

Another ob ect is to construct and arrange the connecting straps to occupy different planes in the concrete structure in which they are embedded with the lon itudinal bars and thus to resist strains am? stresses therein transversely to the bars.

A still further object is the provision of a strap which is slitted and expanded to receive the bars. The prior art discloses constructions wherein the bars themselves are slotted or punched out to form tongues for supportin or receiving the connecting straps. uch structures are improper, for the reason that the strength of the bars is in direct ratio to their cross sectional area A further object attained is that any deand by slotting the bar the strength is diminished to that extent.

The structure depends for its strength upon -the strength of the bars, rather than upon the strengthof the connecting straps, and to cut into the bars is to materially reduce the strength of the structure and in applicants invention, no effective section is removed either from the band or the bar.

To these andother ends, therefore, my invention consists in certain novel features and combinations of parts, such as will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims. I In the accompanyin drawings, Figure 1 1s a top plan view 0 a beam or column showing my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the strap showin one means for receiving the bars; Fig. 4 IS a perspective view showing the strap applied as a stirrup for a beam or truss; and Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged detail top plan and side views showin one manner of splicing or lapping the en s of the bands or straps.

At the outset, it should be understood the invention is not restricted in its application to any particular form of concrete construction,-nor is it necessary to have reinforcing bars of any special shape. They may be round, square, or'deformed, as preferred. Nor need the structure to which the reinforcement is to be applied be of any special shape or size, the invention bein capable of use throughout the entire fiel of reinforced concrete construction. 7

Thus (A) indicate the reinforcing bars of any desired shape and size, which preferably extend longitudinally of the structure and impart strength thereto, as many bars being used as is desirable. These bars which are unweakened by slits, perforations, notches or the like, "serve in the several structures shown in the drawing as the main tension members.

(B indicates a transverse spacing and auxiliary strengthening strap or band adapt ed to connect the bars in any suitable manner, as shown for instance in Figs. 1 and 4. Fig. 4. discloses three methods of applying the band relative to the reinforcing bars,

the band at the left-being continuous while the remaining bands are open. These bands are longitudinally slitted, as shown at (1) in Fig. 6, there being either one or more slits. as is deemed most desirable. Fig. 3 shows a band having two parallel slits formed therein. By slitting the bands in this manner, the bands at the slitted points are divided into strands (2) (2), which I prefer to expand in the manner shown, whereby to form e es in or through which the longitudinal bars are received, the strands operatin to embrace the bars and securely retain t em in the proper spaced relations.

Obviously the size and shape of the structure to which the reinforcement is to be applied must be taken into consideration, and the slitted portions arranged at the proper distances apart.

When the strap or band is to be continuous, as shown in Fig. 1, it is made so that its ends will overlap, the ends being slitted and expanded, as shown, so as to. fit over that bar located at the meeting point of the ends of the band, the extreme ends of the band overlap ing, as shown at (3) (3), which ends may e riveted to the band, if desired. From an inspection of Fig. 5, it will be seen that the band, at its splicing oint, is in effect doubled, the strands overying each other, as shown, and the bar forms a lock or key to retain the ends together. The expansion of the strands may fit them for use in connection with any preferred form of bars. 4

Of course, the ends of the band ma be riveted together at some point interme iate the bars, if desired.

In Fig. 4, I have shown the stra or band applied as a stirrup to reinforce ongitudinally extending bars adapted for floor beams and the like.

When applying the invention to columns or beams, for instance, the longitudinal bars are first set up, after which the straps or bands are slipped over the ends of the bars and moved along to the proper position, the frictional engagement of the straps with the bars being sufficient to retain the former in adjusted position, after which the mold is .built up around the skeleton column thus formed and the concrete placed therein.

In the reinforcement of columns and beams as herein shown and described, the transverse spacing straps or bands B are bent to occupy difierent planes and to resist strains and stresses in different directions transversely to the bars A.

Havin thus fully disclosed my invention,

what I c aim as. new is 1. In a reinforced concrete structure, the combination with longitudinal bars of transverse spacin straps or bands connecting said bars atmtervals and each bent to oc cupy diiferent planes and to resist strains and stresses in different directions transversely to said bars, the straps or bands being. slitted to form strands which are expanded in'op osite directions to receive and embrace sai bars, substantially as described.

2. In a reinforced concrete structure, the

combination of main unweakened tension.

bars and continuous spacing and auxiliary strengthenin straps connecting said bars at intervals an slitted lengthwise at intervals to form strands which are expanded in opposite directions, the strands adjacent to adjoining ends of the bands overlapping one another and the bar passing between the oppositely bent and lapping strands serving as a key to connect such ends, each stra being bent to occu y diiferent planes an to resist strains and stresses in diiferent directions substantially as described.

3. A concrete column comprising a plurality of spaced-apart vertical rods, a plurality of metal bands each having a plurality of angular bendsbetween its ends said angular bends registering with the said vertical rods and at said angular bends each band also having an integrally-formed loop,- the bands being arran ed in different horizontal lanes with their loops and bends in vertical alinement and the bends and loo s at opposite ends of each band encircling t e same rod.

4. A concrete column having a plurality of vertical rods embedded therein, flexible metal bands bent around and encircl' the group of rods in different horizontal p anes and each band havin inte ally-formed endless loops at each %end t ough which the vertical rods project and the two endless loops at the end bends ofthe same band engaging the same vertical rod.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.-

RALPH E. NEWTON.

Witnesses:

J OSEPH McC. BELL, ALFRED L. NEWTON. 

